Julie Burgess reveals her "heartbreak" that one of her four sons, Luke, will
not be joining up with his siblings in Steve McNamara's England squad.

The England call-up of three Burgess brothers by coach Steve McNamara to his 24-man World Cup squad on Tuesday has caused mixed emotions in one Sydney household.

South Sydney's Sam Burgess and his younger twin brothers Tom and George were all given the nod by McNamara for the tournament, which starts later this month.

All three Dewsbury-born brothers currently play for the Rabbitohs after starting their professional careers with Bradford, and it is the first time that three brothers have been included in an England squad.

However, oldest brother Luke, who also plays for the NRL side which is part-owned by actor Russell Crowe, missed out on the call, and his mother Julie has revealed her "heartbreak" after he was not included.

"As a mum you think you think you would be really excited that three of your sons have been selected," she told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I'm really am delighted for Thomas and George. It's their debut for full internationals and it's so exciting and a great achievement and it's amazing that Sam's coming back but it's just so disappointing that Luke's not in there.

"That's the heartbreak really and I just don't understand it.

"It's a huge disappointment to see his brothers all go back to England and for him to not be a part of that. It's hard as a mum to know what to say."

The three Burgess siblings chosen by former Bradford coach McNamara will be aiming to emulate the Hendersons - Kevin, Ian and Andrew - who all played for Scotland in the last World Cup in 2008.

And Julie Burgess believes the side, including her sons, has a good chance of success in the this year's tournament.

"With the England squad they have got they are definitely in with a chance," she said.

"I sadly won't be over there to watch as I will be in Australia but I'm pretty sure we have a really strong chance of competing against the top sides."